Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Will Stay Another Three Years, Get Pay Raise

Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell talks to students in a health class at Manual Career and Technical Center on the first day of school in August.

Kansas City Public Schools Superintendent Mark Bedell has signed another three-year contract.

Approving the contract was the last act of the outgoing, nine-member school board, which met in closed executive session before Wednesday’s board meeting when the new, seven-member board was sworn in.

“In the world of urban education, turnover is something that plagues our ability to accomplish our goals,” Bedell said in a statement. “What the board decision really means is that we have another three years together to provide the stability and consistency needed to move this district forward.”

Under Bedell’s leadership, enrollment has ticked up slightly, and the district is closer to full accreditation than it has been in a decade. If KCPS students score well on the state tests they’re taking now, the State Board of Education could vote on full accreditation as early as this fall.

Bedell had one year left on the contract extension the board negotiated in 2017. Under the new contract, which extends to 2022, Bedell’s base salary increases to $265,000, about $24,000 more than he made this school year and $18,000 more than he would’ve made under the previous contract. The district originally hired Bedell for $225,000 in 2016, and his salary has increased each successive school year.

Bedell’s new contract takes effect July 1.

Elle Moxley covers education for KCUR. You can reach her on Twitter @ellemoxley.